Jerry Seinfeld’s Vista ad “has people talking”

“It’s got a lot of people talking and that’s exactly what we wanted,” said Brooks, Microsoft’s vice president of consumer marketing for Windows. For too long, he said, Microsoft has been silent. And as a result, the only dialogue has come from competitors, namely Apple.

Brooks acknowledges it will take more than just ads to improve Windows’ image. The key, he said, are the substantive changes the company is making, such as trying to improve the experience for buying Windows PCs as well as getting machines up and running. Here, Microsoft appears to be taking a page or two from Apple’s playbook.

Microsoft is setting up store-within-a-store locations at major retailers like Circuit City and Best Buy, a concept that Apple employed at both Best Buy and CompUSA. Microsoft is also hiring between 100 and 200 “Windows Gurus”–Microsoft employees that will be positioned at retail stores to help customers learn more about the operating system. Like Apple’s Geniuses, Windows Gurus won’t be paid commissions. Instead, Brooks said, they will be compensated in large part based on customer satisfaction.